About the Authors

Lucy Calkins

Lucy Calkins is the Founding Director of the Reading and Writing Project at Teachers College, Columbia
University. For more than thirty years, the Project has been both a think tank, developing state-of-the-art
teaching methods, and a provider of professional development. As the leader of this renowned organization,
Lucy works closely with policy makers, school principals, and teachers to initiate and support
schoolwide and system-wide reform in the teaching of reading and writing. Lucy is also the Robinson
Professor of Children’s Literacy and the co-director of the Literacy Specialist program at Teachers College,
Columbia University. Lucy’s many books include the seminal texts The Art of Teaching Writing and The Art of Teaching Reading, as well as the Units of Study for Teaching Reading (Grades K–8), Units of Study in Opinion/ Argument, Information, and Narrative Writing (Grades K–8), the Up the Ladder writing units (Grades 3–6), and the Units of Study in Phonics (Grades K–2).

In addition, thousands of teachers regard the Teachers College
Reading and Writing Project as a continual source of professional
renewal and education. Well over 200,000 teachers have attended
their week-long institutes. Twice a year, thousands of participants
reconvene at TCRWP’s Saturday Reunions.

Co-Authors

Angela Báez

Angela Báez is a staff developer at TCRWP. A primary classroom teacher for more than a decade, she now works alongside teachers and administrators in classrooms across the nation. She leads workshops and summer institutes at Teachers College on early literacy instruction. Angela is passionate about mindful ways to talk with children and about ways in which the subtleties of our language can grow attentive, independent, and self-motivated learners. She believes that a sound education supports the social and emotional, as well as academic, realms of experience. She infuses her teaching of reading with her deep love of books, and of children themselves, most especially her own young reader, Grace.

Allyse Bader

Allyse Bader is a staff developer at TCRWP, teaching at the Foundational Skills Institute and Writing Coaching Institute, leading full-day conferences, teaching advanced sections at summer institutes, and facilitating lead-teacher study groups. Allyse began her career in early childhood education as a first grade teacher in the South Bronx while attending and later graduating from the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College. She continued teaching for several more years at PS 59 in Manhattan and fell in love with Kindergarten while teaching in Larchmont, NY. Allyse works across several states where she collaborates with teachers, coaches, and administrators, supporting their Pre-K through third grade literacy work. She has most recently embraced her newest role as a loving mother to a baby girl named Charlotte Rae, living in NYC with her husband Ray and French bulldog Eli.

Lindsay Barton

Lindsay Barton is a staff developer at TCRWP. She works with primary teachers in New York City and across the country, sharing her passion for the power of observation and all that it teaches us about young readers. Yes it's true - she loves running records and is on a mission to get others to feel the same. Lindsay began her career in education at the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child and Human Studies at Tufts University, where she taught young children at the department lab school for several years. She worked as a bilingual Kindergaten teacher in Costa Rica, and before joining the Project, she was a teacher of a mixed-age first and second grade classroom in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has presented at literacy conferences, taught at summer institutes around the nation, and recently completed a second degree in the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College. Next to working with children, and learning alongside teachers, Lindsay loves most to be outdoors hiking, skiing, and biking.

Emma Coufal Bemowski

Emma Coufal Bemowski is a staff developer at TCRWP, where she works with teachers and school leaders in New York City and across the country. In her work, Emma draws on her experience as a Kindergarten teacher in Oakland, CA, where she taught in both English and Spanish and had extensive experience working with emergent bilingual students. She earned a Masters degree in Urban Education Policy and Administration from Loyola Marymount University and a Literacy Specialist degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. Emma believes in teaching as an act of social justice and is deeply committed to working with teachers to build classroom communities that are culturally sustaining, developmentally appropriate, and filled with joy and love.

Grace Chough

Grace Chough is a Lead Staff Developer at TCRWP. In her work at the Project, she supports teachers, coachs, and administrators throughout New York City, across the U.S., and in Shanghai, China. Grace works cloesly with schools to create lasting structures that promote a culture of learning that leads to best practices in literacy. In this endeavor she draws on her MEd from Teachers College in the English Education Department, and her work as an instructor at Teachers College, working with Lucy as a teaching assistant in a writing instruction course and teaching seminars for student teachers. Grace has led a teacher leadership group focusing on literature and qualitites of good writing and presented at institutes in New York and around the country on teaching reading and writing. She is most inspired when she is in the midst of children, teachers, coaches, and principals, making meaning out of their reading, writing and teaching lives.

Katie Clements

As a staff developer at TCRWP, Katie Clements supports teachers, coaches, and administrators across the nation. She leads advanced sections at the Project's renowned summer institutes, and year-long study groups for lead teachers. Katie has been an adjunct instructor at Teachers College, teaching graduate courses in literacy education. She has a deep interest in building student agency, fostering independent thinkers and problem-solvers. In all her work, Katie draws on her experience as an upper-grade teacher at PS 321 in Brooklyn.

Anna Cockerille

Anna Cockerille, co-author of Bringing History to Life, was a teacher and a literacy coach in New York City and in Sydney, Australia before joining the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project as a staff developer and writer. One of her primary focuses was content area literacy, where she helped shape the TCRWP’s work integrating best practices in literacy instruction into social studies. Anna also has been a researcher for Lucy Calkins, contributing especially to Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement and Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing. In her current role as editor at Heinemann, Anna’s projects have included Units of Study for Teaching Reading, K-5; Units of Study for Teaching Reading, Middle School Grades; and Units of Study in Phonics, K-2. Anna also writes regularly for the Heinemann blog. Her passions also include writing for children. Her latest title, Soap Box Rosie, will be published in 2019.

Rebecca Cronin

Rebecca Cronin is a Lead Staff Developer at TCRWP, teaching specialty courses, leading full-day conferences, teaching at the Conferring and Small Group Institute and the Units of Study in Phonics Institute, and joining with her colleagues to staff both the reading and the writing summer institutes. Rebecca began her career in education as an early childhood specialist and then co-director of Pastures Child Center, located on a 2,000-acre sheep ranch in Bodega, CA. Her passion in early childhood education brought her to the kindergarten and first-grade classrooms of PS 28 in Manhattan. Her work has taken her to Asia, South America, and Europe, as well as across the U.S.—always she works alongside teachers, coaches, and administrators to develop state-of-the-art literacy practices. Rebecca is also the proud mother to Kyla, who is herself a literacy coach.

M. Colleen Cruz

In addition to being the author of The Unstoppable Writing Teacher, M. Colleen Cruz is the author of several other titles for teachers, including Independent Writing and A Quick Guide to Helping Struggling Writers, as well as the author of the young adult novel Border Crossing, a Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award Finalist. Colleen was a classroom teacher in general education and inclusive settings before joining the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project where she is Director of Innovation. Colleen presently supports schools, teachers and their students nationally and internationally as a literacy consultant.

Katrina Davino

Katrina Davino is a staff developer at TCRWP. A former Kindergarten and first grade teacher, Katrina is known for her commitment to joyful teaching and finding space for all children—their quirks, their interests, and their cardboard creations. She is passionate about the intersection between play, reading, and writing, and draws from this to promote high expectations for children across all aspects of their development. In addition to her work in classrooms alongside kids and their teachers, Katrina teaches institutes and specialty courses at TCRWP. She supports schools nationally and internationally to cultivate environments geared towards agency, joy, and access for all of our youngest learners.

Jennifer DeSutter

Jennifer DeSutter is a staff developer at TCRWP. She works with K-5 teachers in New York City and in schools and districts across the country to develop best practices in literacy. Jennifer began her career teaching in New York City, working specifically with students with IEPs and English Language Learners. She enjoys working alongside administrators, coaches, and lead teachers to develop schoolwide goals to improve student achievement and teacher practice. When she's not in a school, you can find her exploring Brooklyn or practicing yoga.

Mary Ehrenworth

Mary Ehrenworth, Deputy Director of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, works with schools and districts around the globe, and is a frequent keynote speaker at Project events and national and international conferences. Mary’s interest in critical literacy, interpretation, and close reading all informed the books she has authored or coauthored in the Units of Study Reading and Writing series, as well as her many articles and other books, including The Power of Grammar and Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement.

Stacey Fell

For many years, Stacey Fell was an English teacher as well as a literacy coach at MS 131, a middle school in lower Manhattan. After completing her EdD in Curriculum and Teaching at Columbia University’s Teachers College, Stacey joined the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project as a staff developer. She has worked closely with middle school educators throughout New York City and Seattle to create thriving reading and writing workshops for young adolescents.

Currently, Stacey teaches 8th grade Humanities at Tompkins Square Middle School, a progressive middle school in New York City’s East Village. Stacey has published several journal articles and was a contributing author to Forever After: New York City Teachers on 9/11.

Elizabeth Franco

Elizabeth Franco is a staff developer, researcher, and writer-in-residence at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, Columbia University. Her passion is for finding ways to make reading and writing both playful and rigorous. Liz is known especially for her state-of-the-art work making tools that help youngsters work with more independence. She supports lead teachers in their own professional development work and teaches advanced sections at TCRWP summer institutes.

Shana Frazin

As a senior staff developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, Shana Frazin works closely with administrators, coaches, teachers, and kids across New York City, the country, and the world. She has led leadership groups on strong readers and higher level comprehension as well as taught institutes on the teaching of reading, writing, and content area. Prior to joining the Project, Shana taught third, fourth, and fifth grades in Pasadena and Los Angeles Unified School districts, and was a faculty member at Pacific Oaks College. Her “Once Upon a Time” began in Rockford, IL and she is currently authoring her very own “Happily Ever After” in New York City with her dog Floyd.

Brooke Geller

Brooke Geller is a Senior Lead Staff Developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. Brooke holds a MSEd with a concentration in Reading with distinction. She also holds a MS in Educational Leadership and a Supervisory Certificate. Brooke is especially dedicated to mentoring staff developers and teacher leaders, and teachers advanced sections at TCRWP summer institutes. Brooke draws on her interest in teaching children and adults in her staff development work across the U.S. and internationally.

Valerie Geschwind

Valerie Geschwind taught both primary and upper grades and was an inclusive classroom teacher prior to joining the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project as a staff developer. Valerie has presented on the role of talk in the classroom and wrote an article on this topic for Heinemann's Digital Campus. She was also a member of the role action-research plays on student growth and teacher happiness. Valerie works with teachers in New York City and around the country, promoting a growth mindset in students and play as a teaching tool.

Cory Gillette

Cory Gillette is the Literacy Coordinator for Darien Public Schools in Connecticut. She previously worked for Teachers College Reading and Writing Project for over ten years as a staff developer, presenter and reading researcher. Cory played a lead role, while at the Project, in a think tank on whole-book assessments, and was involved in developing performance assessments for nonfiction reading. Cory has a post-master’s degree in educational leadership from Stony Brook University as well as a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Barbara Golub

Barbara Golub, currently an independent literacy consultant, was a Staff Developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project for four years, and before that, a teacher at PS 158 in Manhattan. While at the Project, Barb led work that revolved around both vocabulary instruction and the tools that support student independence. Barb has provided professional support to schools in New York City, across the country, and around the world, including Sweden and India.

Amanda Hartman

Amanda Hartman, Deputy Director for Primary Literacy at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University, heads up TCRWP’s K–2 reading, writing, and coaching institutes, and presents at conferences around the world. Amanda is the author or coauthor of books in the Units of Study for Teaching Reading series, the Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing series, and the Units of Study in Phonics series. She has also authored the video, Up Close: Teaching English Language Learners in Writing Workshops and is the coauthor of One-to-One: The Art of Conferring with Young Writers (all published by Heinemann).

Lizzie Hetzer

Lizzie Hetzer is a staff developer at TCRWP. Lizzie works to promote student achievement and equity in schools in low-income areas, support students with special needs, and enhance learning for students who are new to the English language. She enjoys leading TCRWP courses and institutes for literacy coaches, where she works with leaders to create safe and joyful spaces for professional learning and risk-taking. Prior to joining the Project, Lizzie was a special education teacher and literacy coach in Brooklyn, NY. She holds Masters degrees in Educational Theatre and Teaching Students with Disabilities, and was a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship at New York University during her graduate studies.

Kelly Boland Hohne

Kelly Boland Hohne is a Writer in Residence and Senior Research Associate at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, earned her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College while working at the Project. Kelly is part of the leadership team for a think tank, sponsored by the Council of Chief School Officers, in which researchers from both CBAL, the research arm of ETS, and the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project study learning progressions in argument writing. In all of her work, Kelly draws on her experience as a classroom teacher at PS 6, one of the TCRWP’s mentor schools.

Christine Holley

Christine Holley is a Senior Lead Staff Developer at TCRWP. In this role, she works with teachers and school leaders in a score of schools across New York City and beyond; including Sweden, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Christine is especially known for helping teachers lead assessment-based instruction, including small-group work, and for using drama, stroytelling, and the arts to bring literature to life. She leads advanced sections at the TCRWP's renowned summer institutes, and courses for literacy coaches. Before joining the Project, Christine taught PreK and Grade 1 at PS 126 in New York City and in Santa Monica, CA. She earned her MA in education from Fordham University through the Ennis William Cosby Scholarship Program. Her work with lead professor Joanna Uhry helped her gain skills needed to support children struggling with literacy.

Havilah Jespersen

Havilah Jespersen first fell in love with teaching reading as a Reading Recovery teacher, where she developed a passion for working with struggling readers and became an advocate for great literacy instruction in every classroom. She went on to earn her MA in the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College, and intern as a staff developer with the TCRWP. Havilah has extensive experience as a classroom teacher of grades 1-6 in Canada and at international schools in China. She currently works as a literacy coach supporting PreK through Grade 6 teachers in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Gerrit Jones-Rooy

Gerrit Jones-Rooy is a Research Specialist and Literacy Specialist & Project Developer with the Consortium for Policy Research in Education. He previously worked as a Staff Developer and Instructional Coach with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. Before working for the Project, Gerrit worked as a Teach for America Corps member in rural Louisiana and as a reading and writing teacher and curriculum author at KIPP New Orleans. He later received his MA from Teachers College in Curriculum and Teaching.

Dee Kloss

Dee Kloss is a literacy consultant. Dee provides ongoing professional development to independent and public schools. She coaches teachers across the country as they launch and refine their reading and writing workshops. In addition, Dee served TCRWP as a member of the Units of Study Implementation Team and as a presenter at summer institutes.

Monique Knight

Monique Knight was a staff developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project where she worked in schools as diverse as the Promise Academy in Harlem, international schools in France, the Westminster Charter School in Buffalo, suburban schools in Westchester County and on Long Island, and public schools across New York City. Monique has a special interest in integrating literacy and science education. She has led summer institutes across the nation, and teacher-research projects with the TCRWP.

Hareem A Khan

Hareem Atif Khan teaches in the Literacy Specialist program at Teachers College. She is also a staff developer in schools in New York City and worldwide. Before joining Teachers College and the Reading and Writing Project, Hareem was a teacher-educator and curriculum developer, beginning her career in schools in rural and urban Pakistan. She holds an Ed.M. from Teachers College and an M.Sc. in International Relations from Quaid-E-Azim University, Islamabad. Hareem has helped develop many of the Units of Study over the years, including coauthoring.

Lauren Kolbeck

A former staff developer at the TCRWP, Lauren Kolbeck has pioneered work in content literacy. She participated in a think tank on the intersection of science and literacy, and helped to pilot new methods and materials in content literacy. Lauren has a special interest in reading–writing connections in the K–2 grades. She has worked with schools across the US and internationally, and has spoken at national conferences. Before joining the Project, Lauren taught Pre-K through Grade 3 at PS 29 in Brooklyn.

Celena Dangler Larkey

As a child, Celena Dangler Larkey had a hard time distinguishing the fine line between fiction and nonfiction and sometimes (on purpose) wove the two together. She grew up amid a large family of storytellers and entertainers and this background served her well as she became a teacher, writing mentor, and eventually a lead staff developer for TCRWP. A graduate of Trine University and Indiana University, Celena holds a Masters degree as a Literacy Specialist and in Educational Leadership. She leads large-group and advanced sections at the TCRWP Reading and Writing Summer Institutes as well as at the Coaching and Content Area Institutes. She is a speaker at national conferences and delivers keynotes to primary teachers, and her work has taken her across the United States and around the world. When not in schools, Celena spends time with her (grown) son Gabe, husband Jason, and their three dogs.

Natalie Louis

Natalie Louis is a Senior Lead Staff Developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia Unniversity. She loves teachers. Her deepest desire is to make teaching and learning rigorous and fun for both children and teachers. Natalie leads advanced sections at the TCRWP's summer institutes and does data-obsessed staff development locally, nationally, and internationally. Natalie also participates in Thursday Study Groups, where she gets the chance to learn in the company of smart and deeply passionate colleagues. Before joining the Project, Natalie taught grades 1-3 in the New York City public schools. She earned her MA in Teaching and Curriculum from Teachers College and her Reading Specialist license from Fordham University through the Ennis William Cosby Scholarship Program. Her work with lead professor Joanna Uhry helped her gain the skills to support children struggling with literacy. Her very first teaching experience involved teaching ESL to children in the Federated States of Micronesia as a Peace Corps Volunteer. When Natalie is not in her beloved NYC, she is chasing frogs with her boys at her camper, tucked deep in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

Alicia Luick

Growing up as the daughter of a 54-year teaching veteran, Alicia Luick honed her passion for education and teaching at an early age, focusing on improving educational practices and methodologies one classroom at a time. Prior to joining TCRWP as a lead staff developer, she spent many years teaching and coaching in northern New Jersey. Alicia has presented at national conventions such as NCTE and NCSS and leads small- and large-group as well as advanced sections at reading and writing summer institutes in New York and around the world. She holds two Masters degrees from Fordham University: the first in Curriculum and Instruction and the second in Administration and Supervision. Alicia was one of the pioneers of TCRWP’s Writing Toolkit Institute and has presented extensively on creating and using tools with all learners. When not supporting teachers, coaches, and administrators, Alicia can be found singing in churches and temples and on stages worldwide.

Alexandra Marron

Alexandra Marron is a Staff Developer, Researcher, and Writer-In-Residence at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. Her responsibilities include leading a yearlong study group for master teachers, presenting at conferences, teaching sections at the TCRWP summer institutes, and above all helping teachers and principals in a dozen schools lead state-of-the-art reading and writing classrooms. Ali has played a leadership role in developing learning progressions in argument writing, and co-leads a study group on the subject, sponsored by the Council of Chief School Officers, involving ETS and TCRWP. Ali graduated from Columbia University. Prior to joining the TCRWP, she taught at PS 6, one of the Project’s mentor schools, and while there contributed to the book Practical Punctuation: Lessons on Rule Making and Rule Breaking in Elementary Writing (Heinemann 2008).

Marjorie Martinelli

Marjorie Martinelli is coauthor—with Kristine Mraz—of Smarter Charts and the new Smarter Charts for Math, Science, and Social Studies. Their popular blog chartchums keeps teachers in touch with ongoing and relevant classroom issues and ways to use charts as a support. Chartchums is also on Facebook and on Twitter @chartchums! While in schools as consultants with the Reading and Writing Project, the teachers they’ve worked with have begged them to write a how-to book about the amazing charts they introduce to consulting classrooms. Smarter Charts was that guide, and Smarter Charts for Math, Science, and Social Studies extends that work across the teaching day. She is Senior Research Associate and Co-Director of Reading Rescue at the Reading and Writing Project where for the past ten years she has lead numerous leadership groups and presented at many national and international educational conferences. Prior to joining the Reading and Writing Project, Marjorie was a New York City public school teacher, a teacher-researcher, and an adjunct teacher at Bank Street College of Education. She has an MA in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from New York University and is a contributing author to Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study for Teaching Writing. She is also the author of two Brain Quest Math decks for first and second grade. Listen to an interview with Marjorie and Kristi, the Chartchums, on Education Talk Radio.

Casey Maxwell

Casey Maxwell is a primary grades staff developer at TCRWP. In this role, Casey supports schools throughout New York City and the U.S. in developing reading and writing workshops that are rigorous, responsive, student-centered, and joyful. She also leads summer institutes and workshops on children’s literature and early literacy instruction. Casey is passionate about the power of workshop teaching to reach all learners, and helps teachers to develop classroom strategies to support the wide variety of readers and writers in their classrooms. In all of her work, Casey draws on her ten years of experience teaching primary grades in NYC, along with her love of books and deep enjoyment of young children’s amazing sense of humor.

Cornelius Minor

Cornelius Minor is a Brooklyn-based educator. He works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support equitable literacy reform in cities (and sometimes villages) across the globe. Whether working with educators and kids in Los Angeles, Seattle, or New York City, Cornelius uses his love for technology, hip-hop, and social media to bring communities together. As a staff developer with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, Cornelius draws not only on his years teaching middle school in the Bronx and Brooklyn, but also on time spent skateboarding, shooting hoops, and working with young people.

Julia Mooney

Julia Mooney is Writer in Residence at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, where she collaborates with Lucy Calkins and a team of writers on K–8 literacy curricula, learning progressions, performance assessments, and other major projects. She holds a BA in English from Stanford University. At Teachers College, Julia has helped organize and TA courses by children’s book authors James Howe and Sarah Weeks. Julia is coauthor of Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of Study for Teaching Reading, Grades 3-5 (Heinemann 2010) and of other books in the Units of Study series.

Elizabeth Moore

Elizabeth Moore holds an EdM in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she has worked for a decade as a staff developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. In that role, she has helped whole schools lift the level of their reading and writing instruction. Beth has led much of the TCRWP’s work in a number of areas including spelling, phonics, vocabulary, and content literacy, and is a contributing author to many of the Project’s resources and materials. She has also helped the NYC Department of Education with performance assessments in reading. Beth now lives in Jericho, Vermont, but maintains her close affiliation with the TCRWP.

Marie Mounteer

Marie Mounteer is a staff developer with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. She works to help teachers and students learn to find the joy of literacy, and believes literacy is a right, not a privilege, and a tool that empowers, engages, and fights injustice. Her passion is helping students who are working to become multilingual, and she helped develop and run the Project’s ELL Institute, as well as its Coaching of Writing Institute. Always seeking ways to help teachers reconnect with their craft, she has lead specialty groups and homegrown institutes at TCRWP designed to grow teachers' learning. Marie holds a Masters degree in Elementary Education and a Special Education Certificate.

Kristine Mraz

Kristine Mraz is coauthor—with Christine Hertz—of the new Kids First from Day One, which provides a practical blueprint for increasing the child-centeredness of your teaching practice. She and Christine previously teamed up for the bestselling A Mindset for Learning (coauthored with Christine Hertz), which provides practical and powerful strategies for cultivating optimism, flexibility, and empathy alongside traditional academic skills.

Kristi teaches Kindergarten in the New York City Public schools. In addition to writing and teaching, she consults in schools across the country and as far away as Taiwan. She primarily supports teachers in early literacy, play, and inquiry based learning. On the off chance she has free time, you'll find Kristi reading on a couch in Brooklyn with her husband and with baby Harry. You can follow all of her adventures on twitter @MrazKristine or on her blog kinderconfidential.wordpress.com.

Mike Ochs

Mike Ochs taught in New York City, Washington, DC, and Mississippi before joining TCRWP as a staff developer. He has led site-based staff development in schools across the country, helping hundreds of teachers build strong reading and writing workshops. Mike is especially dedicated to the work of helping all kids become engaged and thoughtful readers of informational texts, and is himself a writer of nonfiction texts for children. Mike has also contributed to many publications for teachers, including several books in the Units of Study series.

Brianna Parlitsis

Brianna Parlitsis began her career in education as a research fellow at the Institute for Child Development, where she worked on studying best practices for students with disabilities. She then moved to New York City where she taught in NYC public schools and received her M.Ed. from Teachers College before joining TCRWP as a staff developer. Brianna has a special interest in data and working with teachers in high-needs schools who are supporting large populations of high-need students. Brianna supports schools across the New York City metropolitan area, and also on accasion across the country and around the globe, to find ways to give readers and writers roots and wings. She speaks often at conferences and is part of the faculty at the TCRWP summer institutes. She has also choreographed many successful flash mobs at institutes around the country.

Stephanie Parsons

Stephanie Parsons is a literacy consultant, a former staff developer with Lucy Calkins and the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, and a former teacher. She loves working alongside teachers and children to discover new ways of teaching. She hopes you will feel the power of transformative teaching along with your students. After attending Yale University and Teachers College at Columbia University, she became a first grade teacher at P.S. 321 in Brooklyn. She is now a reading and writing staff developer working with elementary schools in New York City and across the country.

Laurie Pessah

Laurie Pessah is a Senior Deputy Director at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, where she has responsibility for staffing the Project’s work with several hundred schools in New York City and around the country. Coauthor of the DVD A Principal’s Guide to Leadership in the Teaching of Writing: Helping Teachers with Units of Study (Heinemann 2008), Laurie has special responsibility for leading the TCRWP’s work with school leaders and supporting staff developers. In this capacity, Laurie leads study groups, institutes, and a calendar of conference days for superintendents, principals, and assistant principals. She also has a longstanding special interest in primary-level reading and writing workshops.

Alissa Reicherter

As a staff developer at TCRWP, Alissa Reicherter works with teachers and coaches in New York as well as across the country. She received her MSEd from Hunter College's Literacy Education Program. Alissa has a deep interest in empowering students to read and write so they can build more equitable and just communitites. In all of her work, she draws on her experiences teaching in general- and special-education settings in New York City public schools. Alissa enjoys immersing herself in new cultures, a passion which inspired her to teach abroad in Panama, Tanzania, and Nicaragua.

Audra Robb

Audra Robb, Associate Director for Middle Schools at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, develops and pilots performance assessment tools aligned to state standards; provides staff development to schools in New York City and across the country; and leads workshops on incorporating poetry into ELA and content-area curriculum. Audra taught middle school English Language Arts in New York City before joining the Project.

Kate Roberts

KATE ROBERTS is a national literacy consultant, top-selling author, and popular keynote speaker. She taught reading and writing in Brooklyn, NY and worked as a literacy coach before joining the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in 2005, where she worked as a Lead Staff Developer for 11 years. Kate's latest book, A Novel Approach, asks how we can teach whole class novels while still holding onto student centered practices like readers workshop. She is also the co-author of Falling in Love with Close Reading (with Christopher Lehman), DIY Literacy (with Maggie Beattie Roberts), and she co-wrote two Units of Study books on Literary Essay. Her work with students across the country has led to her belief that all kids can be insightful, academic thinkers when the work is demystified, broken down and made engaging. To this end, Kate has worked nationally and internationally to help teachers, schools, and districts develop and implement strong teaching practices and curriculum.

Maggie Beattie Roberts

Maggie Beattie Roberts began her teaching career in the heart of Chicago and then pursued graduate studies as a Literacy Specialist at Teachers College, Columbia University. She worked as a staff developer for the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project for nearly ten years where she led research and development in digital and media literacy, as well as differentiated methods of teaching and content area literacy.

Maggie is currently a national literacy consultant, guest teacher, author, and frequent presenter at national conferences. She is committed to helping teachers tap into the power of their own deep engagement in reading and writing, and leads school-wide staff development around the country. She is happiest teaching alongside teachers in their classrooms. She is co-author of the popular book, DIY Literacy: Teaching Tools for Differentiation, Rigor, and Independence (with Kate Roberts), and authored several Heinemann Unit of Study books on the teaching of writing. Her latest article, Thinking While Reading: The Beautiful Mess of Helping Adolescents Learn and Celebrate How Their Minds Work (co-authored with Kristen Robbins Warren), is featured in the December 2016 issue of NCTE's middle school journal, Voices from the Middle. You can learn more about Maggie’s work, as well as access videos and other resources, at KateAndMaggie.com.

Rachel Rothman-Perkins

Rachel Rothman-Perkins is a Lead Staff Developer at TCRWP and leads study groups, workshops and advanced sections at summer institutes on assessing and teaching foundational skills in addition to her professional development work in schools. At the Project, she is known for her leadership in phonics, spelling, vocabulary, and assessment-based instruction in the primary grades. Rachel’s passion for teaching and school leadership began when she was a classroom teacher at Gilder Elementary School in San Jose, CA, and in her studies in San Jose State University’s MA program in Literacy Education. She is an ardent student, tackling inquiry topics and developing deep knowledge through a succession of apprenticeships that have allowed her to push back the frontiers of her thinking.

Shanna Schwartz

Shanna Schwartz is the K-2 Senior Lead Staff Developer at TCRWP. In this role, she provides leadership throughout the organization. She pilots performance assessments, mentors junior staff and graduate students, advances work at mentor schools, leads the Project's distance learning project for K-2 teachers, and supports study groups for principals, assistant principals, and literacy coaches. Shanna has years of experience developing both reading and writing curricula at TCRWP and with schools across the country and around the world. She is never happier than when she is thinking about books with children and then studying that thinking with educators.

Julie Shepherd

Julie Shepherd is a middle school teacher. She spent five years teaching 8th grade Social Studies and Humanities at IS 289 in lower Manhattan. While there, she developed text sets that have been used by many other educators in NYC. Her classroom was frequently used as a Project lab site for NYC teachers and visiting educators from across the country. Julie earned her Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from Simmons College in Boston. She currently teaches 7th grade Humanities in South Portland, Maine.

Abby Oxenhorn Smith

Abby Oxenhorn Smith worked as a K–2 teacher at PS 116 in Manhattan for seven years. In that capacity, she was a teacher-researcher with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. Many teachers and principals visited Abby’s classroom, and her teaching was videotaped for the DVD Big Lessons from Small Writers: Teaching Primary Writing (Heinemann 2005). She also has worked as a literacy coach, and has led sections at the TCRWP summer institutes. Abby also can lead reading and writing workshops at home as well as at school, as she is the mother of second grade triplets.

Emily Butler Smith

Emily Butler Smith (EdD) is the Associate Director for Professional Development at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. Emily’s research interests have focused on reading–writing connections and content literacy. As part of her doctoral work at Teachers College, Emily became a resident researcher in an inclusive third grade classroom, tracking the development of a few writers across a semester, in particular analyzing ways in which their study of mentor texts lifted the level of their writing and their understandings of writing. Emily leads an ongoing collaboration between the TCRWP and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation devoted to the teaching of history and literacy. Emily draws on all of this in her staff development work across the US and internationally.

Kristin Smith

As a staff developer at TCRWP, Kristin Smith works with many schools in New York and across the country. She has a deep interest in working with students and teachers to develop reading and writing identities while fostering strong classroom communities where all students are afforded opportunities to succeed. Kristin received her MEd from Teachers College in the Literacy Specialist Program, and has since worked as an instructor, teaching graduate reading courses. In all of her work, Kristin draws on her teaching experiences in West Windsor-Plainsboro, New Jersey and in the South Bronx, New York. In her spare time, you can find Kristin scouring travel books with her husband Bill, planning their next adventures.

Janet L. Steinberg

Janet Steinberg was a teacher and a data specialist in the Bronx before joining the Project as a data specialist and staff developer. She has a deep interest in using data to support instruction, and in finding principled ways to respond to the pressures around us without losing our way in the dark. She has special expertise in content-area literacies, especially in history, in Teacher Effectiveness work, in supporting high-needs students, and in using a knowledge of high-stakes assessments to allow us to be in a position to influence policy. That position of influence comes, in part, from achieving on measures that others deem inportant, and Janet has a laser-like focus on doing that, while holding tight to the principles and the rigor and authenticity of reading and writing workshop instruction.

Emily Strang-Campbell

Emily Strang-Campbell is a staff developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. In that role, she supports schools across New York City, New Jersey, and the nation. Before joining the Project, Emily’s classroom at The Clinton School for Writers and Artists was frequently used as a Project lab site for NYC teachers and visiting educators from across the country. Her students’ writing and performance work is featured in several TCRWP projects and videos. Emily earned her Master’s Degree from New York University, with a dual certification in Educational Theatre and English in the secondary classroom. She also received her MFA in Theatre Arts from Brooklyn College.

Dani Sturtz

Dani Sturtz is a Staff Developer at TCRWP. She works with students, teachers, coaches, and principals locally, nationally, and internationally. Dani teaches calendar days and institutes at the Project during the year, as well as summer institutes around the world. She holds an MA degree as a Reading Specialist from Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to joining TCRWP, Dani was a classroom teacher in Rockland County, NY and in New York City. When not inside a classroom, you'll find Dani running in Central Park or along the West Side Highway running path.

Annie Taranto

Annie Taranto is a staff developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, and a graduate of the Literacy Specialty Program at TC. As a staff developer, Annie works with teachers, coaches, and principals in a score of schools in New York City and across the nation, as well as in Asia. She has a deep interest in helping teachers tap into their powers as readers and writers, and is especially known for her summer institute sections and conference days.

Sarah Picard Taylor

Sarah Picard Taylor is a Lead Staff Developer at TCRWP. She works with teachers in the primary grades in NY area schools and across the country to transform their teaching of reading and writing. Sarah teaches at summer institutes, leads specialty courses in schools, and teaches in lab site classrooms to help teachers see the full potential of their students and workshop teaching. Before joining the Project, she taught in an inclusive classroom in New York City and also as a Reading Specialist in WI. Sarah's other love is her own young writer and reader, Maggie.

Kathleen Tolan

For more than 20 years, Kathleen Tolan was a Senior Deputy Director of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. She had special responsibility for the Project’s work with reading instruction, organizing instruction for staff developers and the Project’s four summer institutes. She was also instrumental in the creation of the content literacy institutes and coaching institutes. Kathleen provided staff development at schools in the South Bronx, Harlem, Manhattan, and Scarsdale. A coauthor of numerous books in the Units of Study for teaching reading and writing series, she is also featured in many of the TCRWP’s online videos. Throughout her career, Kathleen remained a consummate professional and a champion for kids and for literacy.

Taryn Vanderburg

Taryn Vanderburg is a Staff Developer at TCRWP. Taryn consults at hundreds of schools throughout the country, and is a frequent presenter at summer institutes. She also contributed to the Units of Study. Taryn is a former primary grade teacher who has spent her life focused on finding ways to help schools grow powerful readers and writers.

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

Author of Poems Are Teachers: How Studying Poetry Strengthens Writing in All Genres and co-author of Poetry: Big Thoughts in Small Packages, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater also writes books for children. Her titles include Forest Has a Song, Every Day Birds, Read! Read! Read!, and With My Hands, and her poems appear in many anthologies. A graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University, former fifth grade teacher, and writing teacher of 20 years, Amy leads school assemblies, offers writing workshops for all ages, and speaks frequently at conferences. She makes her home in Western New York, sharing snips of life at her popular classroom blog www.poemfarm.amylv.com and on Twitter @amylvpoemfarm.

Katherine Wears

Katie Wears brings years teaching in primary classrooms and working as a literacy coach to her current role as a staff developer at TCRWP. In this capacity, Katie helps schools throughout the country develop coherent, joyful approaches to teaching reading and writing. For Katie, the challenge is not just to play Johnny Appleseed, carrying great ideas from one site to another, but also to help schools themselves become centers for professional inquiry. Her greatest challenge, then, is always to figure out ways to tap into the passions and dreams and talents of teachers with whom she is so fortunate to work. At Teachers College, Katie teachers advanced sections at summer institutes and leads study groups for literacy coaches as well as for teachers. She works closely with students from Teachers College's Literacy Specialist Program who apprentice with her. Those who know Katie know all about her role as the proud aunt to three enthusiastic super readers: Owen, Keegan, and Parker; and of her love for the North Country and its teachers and kids.

Lindsay Wilkes

Lindsay Wilkes is a former staff developer at TCRWP. In that role, she supported schools in New York City and across the country. Prior to joining the Project, Lindsay received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Hofstra University's School of Education and Columbia University's Teachers College, respectively. She then went on to teach at PS 58, one of the Project's mentor schools. Lindsay strives to increase engagement, independence, and joy in the classroom - helping teachers and children discover a love of reading and writing, and of teaching and learning.

Katy Wischow

As a Senior Staff Developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, Katy Wischow supports elementary and middle schools not only in New York City but also across the nation and the world. She has been an adjunct instructor at Columbia University’s Teachers College, teaching graduate courses in literacy education. Katy earned her MA in the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College and taught for many years in Newark, NJ. Katy is passionate about curriculum development, using the arts to develop literacy, and creating strong cultures of talk in classrooms.

Pablo Wolfe

Pablo Wolfe trains teachers in Workshop model teaching methods as a Staff Developer for the TCRWP. Before joining the Project, he taught at I.S. 392 in Brooklyn, and School of the Future in Manhattan, where he was also Department Head and a mentor for aspiring teachers. Pablo believes strongly in the role of educators as agents of social change and strives to thread that belief through his writing and staff development.